Bad weather delays US space station shipment, 1st in months for NASA’s

Another attempt will be made for Friday, December 4th at a T-0 5:33 and 11 seconds p.m. There will be another 30 min. launch window at that time like there was today.

Bad weather for Atlas and Cygnus An Air Force weather forecast shows precipitation and clouds over Cape Canaveral at the time of launch.

The other private company hired by NASA to deliver supplies, SpaceX, also is stuck on Earth, at least until next month.

Virginia-based Orbital is modifying the Antares, replacing its AJ-26 first-stage engines with RD-181 engines, and the revamped version of the booster should be ready to fly sometime next year, company representatives have said.

The Atlas is a stand-in for Orbital’s Antares rocket, still grounded following a 2014 launch explosion.

Vascular Echo: a University of Waterloo study which builds upon previous Canadian research that found some astronauts experience accelerated stiffening of their arteries while on board the ISS. Orbital plans another resupply mission usng an Atlas rocket in March, after which the Antares rocket will be returned to service, still using Russian-built engines, the AP said.

Shireman pointed out that NASA wanted to “have a regular cadence of resupply flights” over the next year as both Cygnus and SpaceX’s Dragon resumed cargo missions to the ISS. Launch of the Atlas V is scheduled for Thursday evening.

The International Space Station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2, which will be used to rendezvous with the Orbital ATK’s Cygnus cargo ship.

The first Cygnus spacecraft was sent to ISS in 2013, where this picture was taken by an astronaut.

The rocket and Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship began rolling just after 10 a.m. Wednesday atop a transporter about one-third of a mile from a processing tower to the pad. “You’re always a little nervous, but highly confident”, Pinkston told the AP.

“It’s been a challenge to get back to this point after our mishap at Wallops, but return to fight became the company’s very, very sharp focus after that”, said Frank Culbertson, a former shuttle commander and space station crew member who now serves as president of Orbital’s Space Systems Group.

Orbital ATK has three CRS missions scheduled in 2016 to support ISS cargo needs. A Russian cargo spacecraft had also failed to launch in April 2015. So was the one that was lost; this one is S.S. Deke Slayton II.